UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to hit the campaign trail in Haryana for 13th October assembly elections in the state. She will address two rallies at Karnal and Sirsa to give a boost to the Congress campaign for the battle of ballots in this land of Kurukshetra.
Rains and Flood takes 200 lives in AP and Karnataka
The rains and floods in parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh left 172 dead as authorities on Saturday intensified rescue efforts with army troops backed by IAF helicopters shifting marooned villagers from rooftops to safer areas. While 156 people perished in the heavy rains that battered 15 districts of Karnataka, 16 people were killed in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh whose five districts were hit by the flash flood. However, the death count in both the states is likely to go up as many flood-hit areas were still to be accessed in Andhra Pradesh and between 11 and 21 persons were feared buried under mounds following landslide in a hillock at Kadawada village in Uttara Kannada where two bodies have been recovered, officials said.
Army, Navy and IAF are lending a helping hand to Karnataka to tackle the havoc wrought by the unseasonal rains that has brought vast swathes of land under sheets of water and caused damage to over one lakh houses. Official sources said that in the worst-hit Bijapur district, the number of deaths has risen to 30. Neighbouring Bagalkote accounted for 20 rain-related deaths since 28th September, followed by Raichur (19), Gulbarga (18), Koppal (17), Bellary (12), Davangere (nine), Chitradurga (eight), Gadag (seven), Belgaum (six), Uttara Kannada (five), Bidar (four) and Dharwad (one). State Home Minister V S Acharya said torrential rains had damaged 1,03,291 houses and Government has opened 479 relief camps where 1,23,653 people have taken shelter. Eight helicopters and 38 boats are part of the rescue and relief operations. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa along with Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the affected districts of Bellary, Koppal and Raichur.
Army, Navy and IAF are lending a helping hand to Karnataka to tackle the havoc wrought by the unseasonal rains that has brought vast swathes of land under sheets of water and caused damage to over one lakh houses. Official sources said that in the worst-hit Bijapur district, the number of deaths has risen to 30. Neighbouring Bagalkote accounted for 20 rain-related deaths since 28th September, followed by Raichur (19), Gulbarga (18), Koppal (17), Bellary (12), Davangere (nine), Chitradurga (eight), Gadag (seven), Belgaum (six), Uttara Kannada (five), Bidar (four) and Dharwad (one). State Home Minister V S Acharya said torrential rains had damaged 1,03,291 houses and Government has opened 479 relief camps where 1,23,653 people have taken shelter. Eight helicopters and 38 boats are part of the rescue and relief operations. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa along with Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the affected districts of Bellary, Koppal and Raichur.
NREGA becomes MGREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act)
Rural poverty alleviation programme NREGA will be renamed after Mahatma Gandhi, PM Manmohan Singh announced amid reports that the Centre was taking the step to prevent states ruled by opposition parties from claiming credit for it. Addressing a convention of village heads on the 140th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Singh said the decision to name the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act after the Father of the Nation was an effort to pay tribute to him. "The Union Cabinet has decided to rechristen NREGA as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act," Singh said, adding that it would be aptly named after the Father of the Nation as he always gave high importance to rural self-governance.MNS Started DRAMA over 'Wake up Sid' Movie
Karan Johar's Ranbir Kapoor starrer, Wake Up Sid, scheduled to hit theatres on Friday, October 2, had a nightmarish start in Maharashtra. The Mahrashtra Navnirman Sena or the MNS stopped the film's screening in Pune. MNS activists didn't permit the film's screening across cinema halls in Pune because in the film, the city of Mumbai has been referred to as 'Bombay'. Meanwhile, producer of the film, Karan Johar met MNS chief Raj Thackeray and apologised for their mistake. While talking to the press after meeting Raj Thackeray Johar said, "We are creative people, we make mistakes. We came here to apologies to Raj Thackeray. We will put a disclaimer in the beginning of the film. We shall be putting a disclaimer in the beginning of the film. We are confident and have got support from Raj Thackeray that there will be no protests."Meanwhile Raj Thackeray said, "I have told them that it should be 'Mumbai' not 'Bombay'. I have told them to have apology in first frame of the all 700 prints of the film released worldwide. Karan told me that because of the logistical issues it will take 2-3 days and I have agreed to that I will speak to the producers association to ensure that this will not happen again
Heavy rain clams 35 lives in Karnataka
Heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in North Karnataka with 35 more deaths being reported from the region since Thursday night. Eight people were killed in Raichur, six in Bagalkote, five in Bellary, four each in Bijapur, Gulbarga and Gadag and two each in Koppal and Bidar. As the situation remained grave, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa held an emergency meeting, where Air Force and Army officials were present, besides state ministers, to take stock of the situation. Bijapur district was the worst hit by the rains, which has thrown normal life out of gear in the districts of Raichur, Gulbarga, Koppal, Bagalkote, Bellary, Belgaum and Gadag. More than 20,000 houses have collapsed, many areas inundated and road servcies affected in some parts, officials said. Helicopters are being pressed into the service for rescue operations.Ministers S Suresh Kumar, Sobha Karandlaje and R Ashok, Chief Secretary S V Ranganath, DGP Ajay Kumar Singh and Additional DGP (Land and Ordrer) A R Infant were among those who attended the meeting. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Yedyurrappa described the situation in 11 districts as "grim and serious". About 26,000 houses had collapsed following torrential rains in various parts of the state. The situation in North Karnataka, which had witnessed unprecedent rains, was serious, he said. The Chief Secretary was in touch with the Central Defence Secretary and had faxed a report of the situation in the state. Yeddyurappa said he would visit the rain-affected Haveri district on Friday. An aerial survey of Bellary, Koppal, Raichur and Gadag would be carried out on October four, he said.
Olympics 2016 Host - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro has won the contest to host the 2016 Olympics and take the games to South America for the first time after the shock elimination of Chicago in the first round of voting today. There were celebrations on the streets of the city this evening after the announcement by the IOC president Jacques Rogge. Chicago's early exit was seen as a snub for Barack Obama, who flew to Copenhagen to represent his former home town. Obama, the first serving US president to appear before the IOC, told delegates he hoped that the games would show "America at its best is open to the world". Michelle Obama arrived two days earlier, alongside other dignitaries including the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and King Juan Carlos of Spain. Today's 45 minute presentations were the end of a three-year journey for the bidding cities. Tokyo was knocked out in the second round of voting before the IOC voted again to decide between Rio and Madrid.Madrid's surprising success in reaching the final round came after the former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch made an unusual appeal for the Spanish capital, reminding the IOC members as he asked for their vote that at age 89 "I am very near the end of my time." The Brazilian president told delegates that Rio's bid was made on behalf of the whole of South America. "I honestly think it is Brazil's turn," he said. "It is South America's bid. This is a continent that has never held the games. It is time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country." The city's bid chief said awarding the honour to Brazil was an opportunity to make Olympic history.
Four City in race of 2016 Olympics host
2016 Summer Olympics (XXXI Olympiad) host city has not yet been determined, various cities have begun a bidding process for that honour. The International Olympic Committee will select the host city at its meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2, 2009. The 2016 Summer Paralympics will also be held in the same city and organized by the same organizing committee.Last Four 2016 Olympics host cities are:
* Chicago, United States
* Madrid, Spain
* Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* Tokyo, Japan
The Name of Olympic host 2016 will be announced today and Chicago, US is leading the race.
VIDEO OF FOUR HOST CITY: CLICK HERE
Sonia Gandhi will address Public Meeting at Nagaur, Rajasthan
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a public meeting here this afternoon to mark the golden jubilee of the launch of the Panchayti Raj program. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister C P Joshi and state cabinet Ministers will also attend the function. Mahatma Gandhi championed the cause of Panchayati Raj, a decentralized form of Government where each village is responsible for its own affairs. His term for such a vision was “Gram Swaraj".Prime Minister announced that the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme will be renamed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme which will be a befitting tribute to the father of the nation. Speaking on the occasion UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the national rural guarantee scheme needs to be made effective in coming time. The two leaders will address a public meeting in Nagaur district of Rajasthan on Friday to mark the golden jubilee of launch of Panchayti Raj. In 1959 first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had launched the Panchayti Raj in this district. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister C P Joshi and state cabinet Ministers will also participate in the function. Panchayats are playing a vital role in the development of rural India. Majority of the rural development programmes are being implemented with the help of Panchayats. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister C P Joshi and state cabinet Ministers will also participate in the function.
